EScanlon

Geez, this question is reminiscent of "Honey, do you think this dress makes me look fat?" OR "Do you think these shoes or those shoes go better with what I'm thinking of wearing?" George; You should at least post pictures of the rest of the car. I have a strictly stock interior, so I went with the stock wheel. But if I had any modifications to the interior, or I wanted a strictly updated look then I would choose a non-stock wheel as I find the stock wheel kind of skinny. So, although I like the Club 4 for it's basic design, I like the wood and leather look of Fighter, and Fashion is also sharp. Does that help? (sorry didn't vote.)

The idea of the Hair Dryer is a good one, however, you will be there for EONS trying to warm up that undercoating with it. Even if you were to get the most powerful Hair Dryer, at best you'd be talking 1500 Watts. Get a HEAT GUN. Although "similar" to a hair dryer, trust me, a Heat Gun will totally scorch ALL your hair in the time a hair dryer would dry one brushful. You can get these in the Paint section of most hardware stores. Tell the clerk that you want a Heat Gun to remove old paint finishes. You don't need to get the Butane or the Propane one, just the simple Electric one. The one I have gets the surface hot enough that I can SOLDER with it, and will also SOFTEN BRAZE! Then heat the undercoating, scrape, repeat.....

In the for what it's worth department: Yes you have some ugly and nasty work that's been done there before. Yes it is all repairable. Yes it will be expensive. Now, for something completely different. The ugly and nasty work wasn't done to cheat you. It was probably done by someone in the same situation as you, needing to make repairs and not having the funds to effect the repairs as thoroughly and comprehensively as needed. The repairs were done on the "absolutely only what MUST be done" basis. They did it cheaply. But they did effect repairs. That they aren't of the type and extent that you feel should have been done is a moot point as far as what WAS done, and only relevant on what you will do in the future. What you need to do now, is decide how much money, time and effort you are going to invest into this. If you can afford BOTH Frame Rails and BOTH Floor Pans (although from what I could see the only questionable part of the floor were those two bolt/fender washers, as in what the heck are those for?) then do so. However, you can get away with simply welding the Right Hand Frame Rail back in place after going to a Frame Shop to have them straighten the tweak out of the frame. SHOULD it be done to a higher level? Absolutely. Can you afford it? That's yours to answer. But in my opinion, you don't have a MAJOR bunch of nasty stuff that spells death for that car. If you needed to do the absolute minimum, like I said, just re-weld the Frame Rail that's come off and straighten out or replace the tie-rod. 2¢

Since I was the first one to use the term "communist", I presume it is me you refer to when you say: Unfortunately Tanny, the argument that "True" communism has never existed and therefore you can't use the term "communism" in any kind of discussion is the kind of pseudo intellectual crap that gets regurgitated to squelch any discussion that might possibly discuss it in a meaningful way. Also, in my experience, this argument gets used whenever the person bringing it up cannot contribute to the original discussion and feels the need to change the subject. You're right that "true" communism hasn't and will never exist, simply due to the inherent erroneous assumptions of the human psyche, which you've stated, yield it unattainable. When I referred to "communism", I was speaking to whatever form of government the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Cuba have. Call it what you will, Free Speech there is not, how shall we say, FREELY practiced? Or maybe I should say that only if your Free Speech agrees with the government's view is it Free to be Spoken. So if I've taken offense where none was meant, I apologize for my retort. I'm neither a staunch conservative nor a bleeding liberal, I tend to look at individual issues and either support or ignore as the mood fits me. 1¢

The only thing I remember Slick Willie doing for the military is speeding up Base Closings, Reductions in Force (RIF) and overall reductions in Military Spending. Since I know of at least 10 servicemen who were RIF'ed involuntarily, and of at least 4 Air Force bases that were closed after major new construction had been effected, while at the same time hearing how the minimum time in service for Base Retirement (i.e. when you were first eligible) was raised, I would say that Willie did to the military as he did to Monica Lewinsky and Paula Jones. Except the military didn't get nice makeovers afterward.

No argument here Mike. Heck, we're (the U.S.) not innocent either. When Iraq was warring with Iran, guess who we backed up? And if you'll recall the political nonsense leading up to Gulf War I, didn't we kind of tacitly agree to ignore Hussein's invasion of Kuwait? Only to then turn around and condemn him for it. The details behind all this are sketchy and I've not been able to find a credible descriptive timeline of it. Then AFTER the first Gulf War, when the Kurds were actively revolting against Saddam, something we encouraged, we turned our backs on them and let them suffer the consequences, which Saddam readily applied. But all this discussion does is change the original discussion to whether or not you support the war. Whether you are for it or against it, is not what I am angry about. My "rant" is against those people who would take action against others because they exercised their rights. Rights as defined in the American Constitution. Rights that we Americans feel everyone, not just Americans are entitled to. That we're speaking of other countries is not a valid counter point either. The Declaration of Independence states that "We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal...." When it has become apparent to the U.S. that someone is trampling upon someone's "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness..." we step in and take them to task. This is what's going on in Iraq today. 2¢

Chris Russell wrote: Now in the NEXT paragraph: 'codiscoverer of radium 1898 with her husband Pierre a French physicist, with whom she shared the Nobel prize for physics 1903, and alone for chemistry 1911. So her laboratory and where she worked was in France. That work is how the radio-isotopes were discovered. Sadly due to her work in a very close environment with radioactive isotopes, Marie Curie eventually died from exposure to them. Interestingly enough the Curie, which is a measure of radioactivity is named in honor of her husband. Werner Von Braun was born in Germany 1912, and although he had involvement with the V-1 project, his claim to fame is more for his involvement with the NSA later known as NASA....an American project. Would you claim that the landing on the moon was due to GERMAN technology? So Chris, thank you for the minor biography lesson. Would you do us a favor? Read the COMPLETE article and not just the one fact that you think debunks another's argument.

Or better yet, let's all get REAL stupid and do some idiotic "boycott" which will not hurt anyone but ourselves. This boycott which purports to "penalize" the French for not having backed the U.S. move in the U.N. is so absolutely UN-AMERICAN as to be, literally, what Saddam Hussein would advocate. Why? Simply this, the French President and their people expressed THEIR opinion, and they stuck by it. THAT IS EXACTLY THE KIND OF THING THAT SADDAM HUSSEIN DOES NOT ALLOW!!! Heck, in the United States we advocate Freedom of Speech. Then some idiot decides to boycott the French for having a different opinion than theirs. When 9-11 happened, at first there was a massive back-lash against Arabic people, both immigrants and U.S. BORN Arabic Descent people, until someone spoke out that THOSE PEOPLE WERE NOT THE ONES TO BLAME. And rightly so. But we're going to void some of the basic precepts in our Constitution, by supporting this boycott. Well, to anyone who feels that this boycott is justified and should be enforced: GET THE HELL OUT OF MY UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!! And if you live outside the U.S. of A.; REMEMBER YOU SUPPORT COMMUNISM AND DICTATORSHIPS! DON'T COME CRYING TO THE U.S.A. TO RESCUE YOU WHEN YOU SUDDENLY FIND YOURSELF IN THE SAME SITUATION!!! I served in the U.S. Air Force, and one of our basic credos was: I will support, to the death, your right to an opinion and the right to voice it, EVEN if it differs from mine. So now we have some idiots who would select those products that would HURT the French. Have they stopped to consider that many of those companies have holdings in many parts of the U.S. as well as the rest of the world? So are we really going to hurt the French? Probably not. In fact, we'll probably do some more harm to our OWN people than French people. So let's address some other items of French provenance that you may want to consider boycotting: CHEMOTHERAPY. After all wasn't it Madam Curie that pioneered RadioActive Isotope research. So if you have a loved one who is dying of Cancer and undergoing Chemotherapy........STOP!!! You're going to make a political statement with their life. You're going to point out to the French just how serious you are about their voicing their opinion. You are so adamant, that you will let your significant other, son, daughter, mother, or father DIE for a political belief. Next, let's consider how many Americans, Australians, Europeans, Oriental and Latin American's we can hurt WORLDWIDE by having French companies boycotted. Now isn't that interesting, we're supporting the lay-offs of thousands of individuals because the French expressed their opinion. Sorry, but this has to be one of the STUPIDEST ideas proposed yet. 2¢

Regular POR will "haze" or get cloudy when exposed to UV light. Won't affect it, but it does look like if the paint has hazed and become bad. You can recoat the base POR before it sets with a rattle can paint and it will then protect it and give you the gloss / shine you want while being on top of a POR base. They also have HIGH TEMP POR, which is specifically made for those areas. Ask your vendor. If you order it from MSA you will be limited to what they stock / sell, but if you contact a POR dealer / distributor he'll have access to the complete line. If you need the name for a distributor, I'll give you the name for mine. Hope this helps. Enrique Scanlon

If you prep the metal correctly you'll be removing the bulk of the loose scale and dusty rust. Then with the Marine Clean and Metal Ready you'll degrease and etch (zinc phosphate) then top it off with POR and you'll have an excellent almost perfectly rust-free coating (note, NOTHING is rust free if it involves steel). The nice advantage of POR is that it will flex, and it will protect that steel better than anything else I've tried. When you're finished, you will already have "some" soundproofing, but to do it better, why not get Q-Pads. They're replacement Tar Panels that will go a LONG L O N G way to soundproofing the floor. That's what I did, and you can hear the engine, but you don't hear idle vibrations or noise. Trust me on this one. I then put my complete carpet and mats and the results are EXCELLENT. One BIG IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure you use an Organic Vapor Respirator when you apply the POR. The can says WELL VENTILATED and they are NOT joking in the very least. The fumes have CYANIDE in it, and it will MESS you up BAD! Even with the respirator I used it strictly out doors and sometimes with a fan in the hatch sucking air out. 2¢

I believe so, but I don't know for a fact. However, you can get SEM paint and paint it to match the door panels. It's excellent at coverage and also for long wear. Hope this helps. Enrique Scanlon

Try to find someone who has access to Truck Freight through their company. Then get the person who sold it to you to crate it properly, and that means also removing all the oils, and then deliver it to the dock of the trucking company you are working with. Have them fill out the Bill of Lading showing that you're shipping Collect on Account to Account Holder's address. Ask the guy at the company who deals with the trucking lines, he'll know exactly what you need to tell the guy who's shipping and how to get billed the lowest rate. OR You could just contact the trucking company directly and pay FULL retail price. (not a good idea). 2¢

I'm busting a gut laughing!!!! See the previous posts are what make this site such a great place. Yes, you WILL get good information that you could spend hours reserarching on other sites or reading various books. However, every once in a while someone will inform you how to test the coil in your car by putting your pinkie finger in the wire from coil to center post on the distributor............:devious: ...:dead: Then all heck will break loose and we'll discuss various other sideline subjects and then get back to the initial point. Now Mike, if you're still having problems with that bolt, unfortunately, I will admit to being all toes when it comes to engine work, but I'll chime in my 2¢ on how to remove the broken bolt. If you can get a drill into the area so you could drill the bolt out, then do this. Start with a small bit, 1/8" or so, just enough to get a "pilot hole" started, even if you're starting off center. As you're drilling, slowly drill in the direction of the center of the bolt and also straighten the drill so that you will slowly but surely drill a straight hole CENTERED in the bolt. Once you've reached the center, stop and switch to a larger bit, don't feel bad if you want to step it up 1/64" at a time. As you step up, make sure you stay in the center and pretty soon you will have gotten pretty darn close to the size of the bolt. Shoot the bolt with some cutting oil if you have it, if not at least penetrating oil. At this point, or slightly before, switch to the left hand drill bits so that you might be able to work out the remains of the bolt. You will either end up getting the last of the bolt to come out, or you will notice that you will have drilled the bolt to the point where nothing but the threads are left. Although you could switch to a tap at this point, I like to use a very fine punch and tap out as much of the old bolt BEFORE I start tapping. Hope this helps; Enrique Scanlon

Tanny: NOW who sounds like an irresponsible teenager???? WD40 is a silicon based lubricant that, as pointed out, displaces water by mixing with it and then evaporating. It is a suitable LIGHT lubricant for many applications where you do not want a greasy or oily residue which will attract and catch dirt / dust. Bodyshops HATE that stuff as it is notorious for causing "Fish-Eye" in paint jobs. Liquid Wrench is a penetrating oil that purports to loosen rusty / corroded metal parts while lubricating them for ease of disassembly. There are other products out there that will also penetrate a joint and allow you to remove the nut / bolt / screw. While we're on the subject, KY Jelly is a water-soluble lubricant / emolient which lubricates while also not attacking latex, or rubber. Very commonly found in Doctor's offices, Hospitals and Sports First Aid kicts, as well as irresponsible teenager's bedside table drawer. I won't go into the other uses of it. Now will someone tell me what kind of smiley I should have used here????

I have used the emoticons in the past, and sometimes find that I need a cheat sheet to determine what they are supposed to mean. Even then sometimes they don't convey what I felt I would have had it doing. (There is no "SMIRK") That Mike felt that 2MZ had pulled a funny one on him, and he had bit, I felt was the funny part. That he chose Lowe's as the source of his "authority" to debunk the farce I felt just added more fun to it. So, I tried to pull his leg for real with the CCW Thread with LH Drill Bits.....and it came off in my hand. Then I find out that I accidentally got a few others in the same trap. Mike: Sorry, I'll try to not pull your leg in the future, no guarantees and no warnings. My sense of humor tends to slip it's leash and run amok. It isn't till it's cornered that I can once again slip it under control. Bambi: As many posts as you've read of mine, surely by now you would have caught on that I run the gamut from dead serious can't take a joke to, if you believe it then we'll laugh about it later. Tanny: You're right. I'll be celebrating the 31st Anniversary of my 16th Birthday this June. Then again, I may admit to being an irresponsible teenager, but is it possible that your thinking is.....shall we say..... not exactly chaste? Victor L: You're right also! However, don't forget that the engines in Australia actually have the firing order reversed from American engines in order to avoid acceleration torque when accelerating while turning. That's how come you can't use an Australian Distributor cap on an American Engine. Later guys Enrique Scanlon

That my post was strictly tongue in cheek. A hole is still a hole, the tap doesn't care how it got there. My post regarding using Left Hand or CCW Drill Bits to drill the holes for a Left Hand Thread Tap was just pulling your leg. Now do you see why I said you were being a tad too serious? And don't forget that even Spock was known to pun.

Me thinks you're being a tad too serious......

My latin may be rusty so I can't say for sure. I seem to recall that the name given to the species originally was ...Mimicus and it wasn't until later, when additional specimens were discovered that the ...Polyureathanus were identified. It may be a moot point nonetheless. Apparently the demand for these woods so quickly overcame supply that they began using more common woods such as the Flame Maple you mentioned. To this day, you can more readily find an Oak or Walnut or even Mahogany steering wheel than a true Arboraetus Mimicus or Arboreus Polyureathanus. The difference in the name may be my poor recollection of Latin. Maybe we can get Alan to chime in on this. I'm sure he could shed some light on the subject. Alan you out there? Enrique Scanlon

Sounds like a joke but it isn't. Many times you'll find that the torque and the heat combine to help ease out the broken screw. Besides, how do you think they drill the holes for Left Hand Thread?

Ok, I got this one via e-mail. Hope it doesn't offend anyone: RED COATS A long time ago, Britain and France were at war. During one battle, the French captured an English major. Taking the major to their headquarters, the French general began to question him. The French general asked, "Why do you English officers all wear red coats? Don't you know the red material makes you easier targets for us to shoot at?" In his bland English way, the major informed the general that the reason English officers wear red coats is so that if they are shot, the blood won't show and the men they are leading won't panic. And that is why from that day to now all French Army officers wear brown pants.

You're right. You didn't explain it at all. Want to give it another try?

The wood they used on the steering wheel is an extremely rare item. It came from the Arboraetus Mimicus tree which only grows in a small section of Japan. Although several attempts have been made to plant the tree elsewhere, it seems that it will only grow in Japan. However there have been reports of a very similar tree found in the outback of Australia, which the natives refer to as Maderus Plasticum or in the original aborigine "Bluh Deeh Fuäacke Wôd". Just a bit of Z trivia.

Mike: I'm going to have to buy you a Fuzzy Dash Cover.........and some Dingle Balls. Maybe a Barbie Doll Under Garment Clothes line for the back window. You know the type, with nothing but tiny little bra's, panties, and stockings. Only problem with the Z's is that the Electric Antenna retracts all the way into the body and therefore the topper would fall off! Enrique

BEFORE you go spending big bucks on premium priced screws just to be able to claim that they are OEM and therefore "original", why not check the specialty fastener section of a good hardward store. Lowe's has a specialty hardware section. True Value hardware stores also carry an excellent assortment of Metric Screws, EVEN in Stainles Steel. Yes you'll pay a bit of a premium for buying them in real small quantities, but you won't be paying $2.00 EACH or anywhere thereabouts. You will find that the vast majority of them are VERY easy to find and you can get them for as little as 15¢ each in stainless steel for the smaller ones, and still under .50 for the real large fender bolts (again in Stainless). It does require your getting a tap and die set out so that you can identify size and pitch, but in the long run you'll be better off than if you paid someone else to identify them for you. Just my 2¢

The two filaments in the bulbs are: 1) Stop Lights OR Hazards OR Turn Signals 2) Tail or Parking lamps. There are also two separate Flasher Units (the unit that makes the lights go blink-blink). One is for the Hazard Lights and the other one is for the Turn Signals. The one for the Hazards, if I recall correctly is the one by the passenger kick panel, the turn signal one is the one by the steering column. That you report that you used to do the turn signals "manually" says the lights work, but that they don't blink. That says your flasher is not getting warmed up enough to "blink". 2¢